Study: Child abuse rises when spouse goes to war

The stress of having an Army spouse in a combat zone leads to a 60 percent increase in the rate of moderate to severe maltreatment of children by the spouse left behind, researchers said Tuesday.

The researchers found that the increased abuse and neglect was overwhelmingly committed by female spouses. They found no significant increase by male spouses left behind, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The maltreatment could have long-term consequences because abused children were more likely to suffer from depression and other health problems well into adulthood, the North Carolina researchers said.

Parental stress is one of the most common causes of such maltreatment, the team said, adding that deployment of a spouse to a combat zone is likely to increase stress substantially.

In a statement, the Army said it had already begun to bolster its family support services through increased funding and personnel. The Army Medical Command has also called for more aggressive screening of spouses for signs of depression, the statement said.

Lead author Deborah Gibbs, a health analyst at RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C., said researchers had been working with the Army for several years to look at "child maltreatment in the context of other family problems."

A study released in May on which Gibbs was a co-author found that the rate of child maltreatment among military families in Texas increased sharply following deployments after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Gibbs said the new study, which was funded by the Army, expands on that work by providing more information on the different kinds of abuse and the characteristics of the families involved.